20080330

If you're interested in checking out what its producers think will be a singular wine, you'd better start working your Australian contacts early.

This year's wine harvest is so impressive it will be bottled for the territory's centenary celebrations, according to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government.

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope told the Canberra Times that a riesling and a shiraz would be created using some of this year's best fruit and the top skills of the local wine industry.

"The wine will be released in our centenary year, 2013," he said. "I understand the (local winemakers') association is looking to make this process as inclusive as possible so that a number of winemakers in the district will have the opportunity to be part of the unique project."

The Canberra Region Wine District has emerged as one of Australia's premier wine producing regions in recent years. There are 35 wineries within a 35-minute drive of Canberra city. Overall, there are 140 vineyards in the ACT, with most of them small boutique operations.

20080329

EDINBURGH, Scotland — An Internet campaign to ban Britain's treasury chief from the country's pubs seems to be striking a chord.

Earlier this month, treasury chief Alistair Darling (seen at right) raised taxes on cars and cigarettes. But it is his new alcohol duties -- which raised the price of a pint of beer -- that have Britons' backs up.

So, when a pub landlord here in Darling's hometown barred the chancellor from his establishment, drinking holes across the country followed suit. Many are posting pictures of the white-haired, bespectacled treasurer above the big red word "barred."

Bar manger Andrew Little at the Utopia pub, which kicked off the campaign, says the poster is "tongue in cheek." But, he says, it seems to have "touched a nerve."

Hundreds have joined Internet groups devoted to running Darling out of every pub in the country, and establishments from the Tap & Spile in the north England town of Lincoln to the Plough Inn in Finstock, near Oxford, said Darling would not allowed to partake of their booze.

The government has raised taxes on alcohol by 6% above the rate of inflation, which translates to an extra four pence (about eight cents Canadian) for a pint of beer, 13 pence (around 26 cents) for a bottle of wine and 55 pence (around $1.12) a bottle for spirits such as whisky.

The duties are scheduled to rise by another 2% above inflation in each of the next four years.

20080324

"In a cold, dark cellar in Paris lie some of the world’s finest wines: 12 bottles of Château d’Yquem, a case of Château Margaux and a 1985 bottle of Romanée-Conti, estimated to be worth almost £4,000. [Nearly $8,000 US.]

“ 'Don’t touch it,' snapped a broad-shouldered warehouseman as The Times reached for the celebrated burgundy. “If you dropped it, the insurance wouldn’t pay.”

His nervousness was understandable, for this is the first time in history that a French pawnbroker has accepted wine as a security against loans for its customers."

20080319

When it comes to alcoholic beverages, many state authorities exhibit an almost-pathological need to tax, regulate, stifle and otherwise interfere with a business enterprise.

The latest such news comes from North Dakota. Not a place one normally thinks of when the subject is wine, but, like every other state, there are wineries and winemaking interest there.

The North Dakota State Tax Commission has reversed its previous opinion on two key issues.

One affected a business called Vintner's Cellar, a make-your-own-wine company with locations in Grand Forks and Fargo. Owners Tony and Judy Osowski said in January they would close their doors because the Tax Commission wanted to revoke its domestic winery licenses, saying it did not meet ingredient requirements or pay an alcohol excise tax on its wine sales.

An audit conducted last fall claimed the winery’s private-label wines failed to meet a state law requiring the majority if its ingredients — grapes, fruit or other sources — be North Dakota products.

The other case involved Lisa Gibson Archive Vintner’s, another make-your-own-wine business in which customers are allowed to taste wines and purchase wine kits that are made in the store or in the customer’s home. This one differs in that it also makes it owns domestic wine under the Dakota Prairie label.

The state Tax Commission also claimed that the franchise owed back taxes from 2005 and 2006, based on policy that state excise and alcoholic beverage taxes must be paid on all wine sales.

Now comes word that both decisions were reconsidered and reversed.

In the case of the Osowskis' business, the state panel ruled that its winemaking kit "is not subject to the majority ingredient requirement.”

As opposed to the usual pale occurrence such theme months might be (think National Lollipop Month), this one involves more than 300 restaurants and wine shops in the state that will feature New York wines all month long.

There are more than 230 wineries statewide, and wines from 92 of them are featured as part of the promotion from New York Wines & Dines.

Its Web site has a list of participating restaurants as well as a collection of recipes, information on wines, food and wine regions throughout the state to support the month-long event.

20080318

The latest entry in the "world's most expensive blah-blah-blah" competition demands our attention in the champagne category.

A personalized, limited edition 12-bottle boxed set of Perrier-Jouet Champagne will go on sale Thursday with a price tag of 50,000 euros, or $78,944 U.S.

if that seems a bit pricey, consider a single bottle at 4,166 euros, or $6,576 U.S.

First, of course, you have to qualify for the privilege of buying the bubbly. Pernod-Ricard, which owns Perrier-Jouet, said sales will be limited to "a community of super-rich" consumers in the U.S., U.K., Japan, China, Russia, Switzerland and France.

"We are going to sell these box-sets to 100 people around the world who will have a chance to customise their own champagne, the ultimate luxury," said Perrier Olivier Cavil, head of communications at Perrier-Jouet. "Each buyer will come to Epernay (in eastern France) for a one-on-one meeting with our cellar master Herve Deschamps, and will personally add a 'liqueur' to personalise the bottles."

The special edition champagne is a combination of sugar and wines from different years, and the liqueur will put the finishing touch on bottles of Perrier-Jouet's 2000 Belle Epoque champagne.

The previous price record was held by a limited edition of Dom Perignon champagne, which went on sale in 2005 for 12,000 euros, or $18,957 U.S., per three-litre bottle.

20080314

Is it possible to buy Pennsylvania wine via an Internet order to ship to California in one week?

If so, who/what would you recommend? I'm throwing a bridal shower for a bride-to-be from PA.

-- Kathy in California

Kathy:

Sorry, but it is illegal to ship wine from Pennsylvania to a destination outside the state.

Pennsylvania is one of the more restrictive states when it comes to interstate sales. In fact, it has a very cumbersome process for in-state shipping as well: You have to order the wine to be shipped to a state-licensed store, then pick it up there rather than having what you purchased sent directly to you.

20080313

"Terroir" is a term perhaps more understood in parts of the world with a longer history of growing wine grapes than in the U.S., a comparative newcomer to the field.

But terroir's impact is beginning to be recognized. The annual Grand Harvest Awards judging in Santa Rosa, CA, for example, bills itself as "the only wine-judging event in North America that is based on terroir -- a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine."

The idea of hinging a competition on such criteria is "to acknowledge the influence of terroir" compared to other competitions in which the factor is ignored.

20080310

The iconic image of pubs as a part of England that will always endure is in trouble.

The number of pub closings last year hit a rate 14 times higher than the prior year, according to a new report just released by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).

The BBPA says 1,409 pubs closed in 2007, a rate of 27 per week.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has published its own survey showing a slightly slower pace -- 57 a month -- but notes that 31% of those closed are being demolished, 36% are converted to shops, cafes and restaurants and 33% are converted to some other use, mostly residential.

It is this changeover that is concerning people who want to preserve the country's pub structure. CAMRA is pushing for changes to planning laws to prevent pub demolitions and change of use without planning permission.

So, what is causing the phenomenon?

BBPA Chief Executive Rob Hayward said he blames rising costs, falling sales and the impact of the smoking ban.

“These figures show the reality of the pub trade today," he said, "in contrast to the hype surrounding the myth of '24 hour drinking'."

BBPA statistics say beer sales in pubs are at their lowest level since the Depression in the 1930s. Today's pubs are selling 14 million fewer pints a day than they did when sales were at their peak in 1979.

20080309

You may be able to enjoy a glass of wine while you're on your computer in Maryland, but don't try getting the two any closer.

As reported by Baltimore Sun:

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 8) -- A House of Delegates committee yesterday rejected a bill that would let Maryland consumers buy wine directly from Internet merchants and wineries, as is permitted in at least 35 other states.

The bill was also debated yesterday in the Senate, though its chance of passage appears slim.

Wine lovers and Maryland wineries have been battling the state's liquor distributors for several years over the issue. Under current law, online direct-to-consumer sales of alcohol are largely prohibited because they circumvent the "three tier" regulatory system in place that requires producers to sell to wholesalers, who distribute cases of wine to retail stores.

Sen. Jamie B. Raskin, the Montgomery County Democrat sponsoring the bill, yesterday railed against "antiquated economic protectionism" that benefits liquor distributors and merchants. Though a self-described "teetotaler," Raskin exhorted his colleagues to "create a free market in wine. ... Free the grapes!"

Bruce C. Bereano, a lobbyist representing the Licensed Beverage Distributors of Maryland, argued that Raskin's bill would hurt Maryland wineries, reduce distribution-related jobs in the state, hamper tax collection and make it easier for minors to obtain alcohol.

"If you make it so profoundly easy for national wine brands to get their product directly to consumers, they're going to take out Maryland wineries," Bereano said.

The association representing state wineries disagrees.

"The ability to ship wine to a consumer is one of many methods provided by law in other states to encourage the growth and prosperity of small wineries," said Maryland Wineries Association executive director Kevin M. Atticks in his written testimony. Maryland's current laws are "frustrating for consumers and almost impossible to explain to customers," he said.

20080304

I was recently treated to a Ukrainian wine that had a rendition of the crucifixion of Christ as the label. Are you familiar with this wine?

It was wonderful (but) with the entire label unreadable to my American eye we have no idea what the name is or where it is made. Just wondering if you are able to shed some light.

-- Rebecca Reynolds, Salt Lake City, UT

Becky:

I've been researching your question, but haven't come up with a specific name. Several sources say putting such imagery on wine at certain times of the year is commonplace and not restricted to any one label.

20080303

One of my favorite wines from New York's Hudson Valley is a Seyval Blanc from Clinton Vineyards in Dutchess County.

Obviously, Clinton Vineyards co-owners Phyllis and Ben Feder and other members of the Hudson Valley Wine & Grape Association feel strongly about the grape as well. So much so, in fact, that the group has selected Seyval Blanc (shown at right) as the primary grape for wines that will qualify for the new "Hudson Heritage White" designation, with Vignoles, Vidal or Cayuga White allowed for blending.

Seyval Blanc grapes have a long reputation as a good cool-climate fruit. The French-American hybrid is the second most planted vine in England, behind Müller-Thurgau. In the U.S., the regional appellations producing the most Seyval Blanc wines are the Hudson River and the Finger Lakes in New York, and the state appellations producing the most are New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia.

The grape is an early ripener, usually mid- to late September. It is highly susceptible to botrytis bunch rot.

Seyval Blanc wine is a pale yellow color, with a light but fragrant nose, usually with hints of lemon, pineapple and a bit of acidic apple on the finish.